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The Runaways
Synopsis In the copy machine, Stan finds several comic strip panels. The strip is called "Scout's Honor," and it's about a monkey in the Army who cannot follow orders. It's by Lou Avery. Don and Peggy are coming into SC&P in the elevator. It's a Friday, and Peggy asks Don about his weekend plans. He has no plans for this weekend, but he's going to California the next. She tells him she is glad to have him on the team working on Handi-Wrap. Leaving the elevator, Peggy and Don see Ginsberg yelling at the new computer. "Stop humming! You're not happy!" In front of all of the creative staff, Stan gives Lou's comic to Shirley. She cautions, "No one has seen this." They all reply, "Scout's honor!" except Ginsberg, who is distracted by the computer noise. Don receives a collect call from Stephanie Horton, Anna Draper's niece. She is in L.A., and she's pregnant and has run out of money. Don gives her directions to go see his wife Megan in Laurel Canyon. He says he wants to see her, and she says "Thank you, Dick." Don calls Megan. Her girlfriend is there, giving her a mani-pedi. Don tells Megan about Stephanie. Megan offers to cancel the party she is having for her acting class on Saturday, but Don says not to, and says he will be at her place by 10:00 that night. Megan says she's glad she will get to see Don. The creative team is making fun of Lou's cartoon. They laugh that he thinks he's Mort Walker (the creator of Beetle Bailey). Don comes in and takes the folder that contains the strips. They state that Don is "still part of the faculty." Betty is setting out food in silver chafing dishes. She tells her husband Henry that she's made Rumaki, crab Louis on toast points, and little franks in barbecue sauce. The neighborhood is having a progressive dinner party (round-robin), and the neighbors will be arriving soon. Stephanie arrives at Megan's place. Megan offers her food and a bath. Stephanie asks for meat, since she's "been dreaming about it". Megan sends her to the bedroom and tells her to make herself at home while Megan cooks. Stan and the newest creative team member, John Mathis, are in the men's room, at the urinals. Repeating what is clearly a previous joke, the new guy says, "I want her." Stan says "You can't have her." John says "Why?" Stan replies, "Because Scout's on her." Lou emerges from a stall, having overheard their mockery. He washes and wipes his hands and walks out without a word. During a meeting in Lou's office, Lou asks Don to "throw out the first pitch." Don asks if Stan, who will be assisting him, wants to stay where he is seated, or move next to Don. Lou snipes at Stan, and asks "Can you be smug from over there?" John, the new copywriter, apologizes, Peggy asks what's going on, and Lou calls the creative team "a bunch of flag-burning snots" who have no respect for authority. He compares himself to the creator of Underdog and to Bob Dylan. Stan apologizes. Lou is still angry, and punishes everyone by making them stay at work late. As the creative team leaves the office, Don tells his secretary to book him the last flight out of New York, which leaves at nine. At Henry and Betty's turn at the round robin, they talk to their guests, who are complaining about vandalized street lights. Betty connects young peoples' lack of respect for authority to their protests against Vietnam. Henry dismisses Betty's opinion, and states that he agrees with Nixon, who thinks the U.S. should get out of Vietnam. Betty feels demeaned, and goes to check on the Sterno. Don brings his work to Lou. He's in his coat and hat. Lou tells him he's not going anywhere, and that the coat and briefcase are "a rookie move." "I'm going to tuck you in tonight." Don says, "I'd let you go, Lou." "Too late for that," replies Lou. "I'm not taking management advice from Don Draper." Don calls Megan to tell her he won't be able to make it to L.A. until the next morning. Megan tells Stephanie, and the two chat about the father of Stephanie's child, who is a musician who is currently in jail for selling marijuana. It turns out that Stephanie can't eat the steak. Stephanie spots Anna's ring on Megan's finger, and tells her she is happy it is in the family. She asks Megan about having children, and Megan replies that Don's children are plenty. Stephanie's boyfriend doesn't know about the baby, and when Megan cautions Stephanie about Don's likely disapproval of the "disorganization" of Stephanie's plans, Stephanie says "I know all his secrets." Megan is discomfited by this, and seemingly also by Stephanie's beauty, and hints that Stephanie should leave by saying "Will one thousand dollars get you far enough? This comes with no strings." Stephanie counters by saying that "Nothing ever happened between us," "Of course not, you're his niece, I know that," says Megan. Henry returns home, and Betty is in bed. She left the round robin with a headache. He is angry that he had to "go stag" to several neighbors' homes. She apologizes, but Henry chastises her for speaking her mind on the Vietnam issue. She counters that he never told her what she was supposed to say. He says "Leave the thinking to me." Lou walks by Don's office. Don is typing. Lou says, "I decided I can see that Monday." Betty answers the phone. She says "What?" and then "Is she okay?" Don enters Megan's place to see Amy doing dishes. Megan enters, and Amy excuses herself. Megan explains to Don that Stephanie left. Megan lies and states she tried to make Stephanie stay. He is displeased. "You should have called me. At least let me talk to her." Amy and Megan leave to do some grocery shopping. When Amy asks if Don wants them to get anything in particular, "I know what he likes," says Megan. It's Saturday. Ginsberg is working in his office, but he is bothered by the hum of the computer. He puts Kleenex in his ears. He walks out of the office, and spots Jim Cutler and Lou talking to one another in the computer room. Ginsberg is suspicious, and hides before they see him. Henry walks in the door with Sally. She has black eyes, and possibly a broken nose, from sword-fighting with golf clubs. Betty is livid. "That's your face, young lady," Sally talks back, saying "That's right, it's my face." Henry chastises them both, saying "Girls, girls!" Sally asks where Betty would be without the "perfect nose" that enables her to get a husband. Betty counters, "It was a perfect nose, and I gave it to you." She orders Sally upstairs for the night. The phone rings at Megan's. Amy answers. She and Megan are dressed for the party. There's a knock at Peggy's door. It's Ginsberg. He tells her he witnessed Lou and Jim Cutler having a secret meeting in the computer room. "They're homos," he says. "The computer makes men do unnatural things." He says he's been affected, too, and found himself attracted to Stan. Julio enters. After Peggy explains who Julio is, Ginsberg asks if he can work at Peggy's. He sets up at Peggy's desk, as Julio and Peggy sit on the couch, presumably watching television. The party has started at Megan's. Amy offers Don a joint. He declines. People with guitars and banjos and drums start to play a jazz song ("Petite Fleur") and Megan turns off the radio and dances with one of her guests. Don looks uncomfortable. Megan notices this, and hands off her dance partner to someone else. Harry Crane arrives at the party with someone named Miranda. Don asks Harry to go get a drink with him -- elsewhere. Harry dumps Miranda on Megan, and leaves with Don. Sally is in bed. Her little brother Bobby comes in the room, and asks if Henry and Betty will be getting a divorce. He says he has a stomach ache all the time. Sally says she is going to leave that night, and hitchhike back to school, but Bobby cannot come with her because he's too little, and they (Henry and Betty) will never let him go. Peggy wakes to see Ginsberg looming over her on the couch. Julio has left. Ginsberg says that there is pressure in his head because of the hum of the computer in the office. He says the computer has a plan to turn everyone homosexual. He announces that he wants to have sex with Peggy, because "it's building up!" Peggy yells at him. "It's just a computer!" Ginsberg leaves. Don is in a bar having a drink with Harry. Harry tells Don that he respects his intellect. "Guys like us, we've got to look out for each other," he says. "I'm going to make sure you're still important," Harry adds. He tells Don to move to L.A. to be with Megan and to replace Ted Chaough, who is "useless" and "a broken man." He tells Don about "the final solution." Evidently Cutler and Lou are pursuing an account with Commander cigarettes. They have an upcoming meeting with Philip Morris. Harry has put together the media strategy. "I hope you know how much I appreciate this," says Don. Don comes home to Megan and Amy. They try to get Don to smoke a joint. "You know what would make you feel better? Drugs!" says Amy. Don says he is tired and goes to bed. Both Megan and Amy join him. Amy says, "I'm supposed to tuck you in." Megan says, "This is the best place to be right now, Don." Don says, "I don't want anything," but Megan touches his crotch and says "Don't lie." Don seems a bit incredulous, but Megan takes the lead and initiates the ménage à trois (threesome). The next morning, Don gets up and looks for coffee. Megan helps him. They kiss. The phone rings, and it is Stephanie. Megan slams drawers and clinks crockery as Don asks Stephanie where she is. Stephanie says "I didn't want to break my word." When Don counters that Stephanie promised to wait for him at Megan's, Stephanie explains that she didn't want to break her word to Anna Draper, to whom she made a promise not to disrupt Don's life. "Call me when the baby comes," says Don. "You have my number." After Don hangs up the phone, he tells Megan that Harry told him something that Don wasn't supposed to know, and that Don needs to leave for New York. "You're still coming back next weekend?" asks Megan. "Yes," says Don. Amy emerges from the bedroom,and heads out the door. "Great party," she says. "I'm going to shower," says Don. Betty is sitting in the kitchen, and Henry walks in and says ":Let's go." He wants to go sit in the living room, not "in the kitchen like the help." Betty says she is comfortable sitting where she is, and she does not appreciate Henry coming in and telling her to get up and follow him to where he wants to go. She is also still angry about the way he dismissed her opinion at the party. She says "I'm not stupid. I speak Italian," and "Guess what? I think all by myself!" Henry is still dismissive, and asks if she's so smart why doesn't she run for office. She says she doesn't know what she's going to do, but "that's a good idea." Ginsberg walks into Peggy's office, and announces "I'm myself again." He also tells Peggy that he has feelings for her. His next announcement is a bit more enigmatic. "I had to find a release. I found an outlet." He hands her a small white box. She opens it, and is horrified. It is Ginsberg's nipple. "It's the valve!" he explains. He says he had to cut it off himself to let the pressure out. "Anyway, I'm grateful, so I wanted to show you." Peggy tells him to sit down and wait in her office. Shaken, she leaves and picks up a telephone from a secretary's desk. She's calling for help. Don arrives at the secret meeting in a private room at the Algonquin that Lou and Jim are having with Philip Morris. He sits down and introduces himself, and shakes hands with everyone. He announces that "If you were to give us a shot, I'm prepared to leave the agency." Jim says that will save them the trouble, but Don continues. He talks about his experience with tobacco accounts. He brings up American Tobacco, Philip Morris' main competition, and asks what they would think if Philip Morris were to hire Don and make him recant and work for them. The Philip Morris men seem skeptical. Ginsberg is wheeled out of SC&P on a stretcher. "Get out while you can!" he yells at everyone lined up to watch his unusual departure. Peggy, red-eyed, looks at the computer accusingly. Don holds a cab door open for Lou and Jim as they leave the Algonquin. "You're incredible," Lou spits. "Thank you," says Don, smoothly. Lou and Jim get into the cab and as Don closes the door, Jim asks, "You think this is going to save you, don't you?" Trivia *The scene in which Ginsberg is watching Lou Avery and Jim Cutler speak to one another in the computer room is similar to a scene in the 1969 film 2001: A Space Odyssey *Underdog was created in 1959 by William Watts "Buck" Biggers of the Dancer Fitzgerald Sample advertising agency as a television cartoon show to sell breakfast foods produced by General Mills. *The closing song is "Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line" by Waylon Jennings. Quotes *Amy from Delaware, to Don: "You know what would make you feel better? Drugs!" *Betty (arguing with Henry): "I'm not stupid! I speak Italian!" Category:Season 7